Lesson on a Cruise Ship

by Marcia Lee Laycock

My husband and I recently returned from a cruise. It was a great trip, for the most part, but there were some things I found irritating. I often felt we were made to feel that we weren’t quite worthy of being on that ship.

One day we decided to go to an art auction. If you attended, you were automatically entered into a draw. I was a little excited when I won a gift bag. There was a watch in it that had a rather large price tag on it. That was nice. But then I realized there was also a $100.00 gift certificate included. I’d spotted something I liked in one of the boutiques. With the gift certificate I could easily afford it. So yes, I got a little excited.

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Until That Day

By Marcia Lee Laycock

I’ve had cancer. Twice. These are a couple of things I learned:

1.Someday Jesus and I will be face to face; He is here, with me, right now.

2. All the ambitions I have, and all the fears I harbour, are insignificant in view of those two facts.

I learned those lessons as I lay on a cruciform table in an operating room, reflecting as the anesthesia took hold. I could wake up in heaven, I thought. The idea excited me, but it also made me realize I didn’t want to die. There were things I still wanted to do and see, people I wanted to continue to love and some things I needed to set right. But I knew the possibility of dying that day, or in the not too distant future, was very real. The fact that it would happen, some day, was undeniably clear.

That made my writer’s heart beat a little faster. There were articles and books I still wanted to write, plays I wanted to see on the stage. The idea of dying in the middle of it all made me squirm a bit on that cold table.

So I prayed and that wonderful peace that passes all understanding flooded through me. I realized if I was about to meet Jesus none of my fears and suddenly rather silly ambitions would matter. If He was about to take me home, that meant the purpose for my life, and my work, had been accomplished. If He chose to allow me to continue on this earth, I could trust that he would be there beside me, guiding me all the way. It was a “win, win” situation.

Then I woke up in an ICU on a respirator with my hands tied down. My first thought was, Well, I don’t think this is heaven. As my brain struggled to register the words the nurse was saying, telling me I had had an allergic reaction to the blue dye they had injected into my body, I tried not to panic. What did that mean, exactly? I was relieved when she told me they were going to remove the tube down my throat and untie my hands. Yes, I thought, that would be very nice.

Then I saw my husband’s face. Then I had a moment. It was brief, but quite powerful. What if it had been the face of Jesus? I thought of Isaiah’s reaction when he saw the Lord and cried out, “Woe to me, for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Understatement of the century, in relation to myself, I knew. But then there is the rest of the story, in which the angel tells the prophet he has been cleansed and The Lord presents him with his life’s purpose.

I too have been cleansed and presented with mine. So I will continue to write, to live my life, remembering those two things I learned on that operating table. Until He takes me home.
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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has four devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded on Smashwords or on Amazon. It is also now available in Journal format on Amazon. 

Her most recent release is Celebrate This Day, a devotional book for special occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving. 

Visit Marcia’s Website

Sign up to receive her devotional column, The Spur

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Walking the Dog of Marketing by Marcia Lee Laycock

Walking the Dog

It made my husband and I laugh as we drove by. A young girl was walking a large white dog – or rather, it was walking her. She would take a step and tug on the leash. The dog would follow for one or two paces, then lunge off to the side, jerking his master after him. Another tug, another couple of steps, another lunge and jerk, backwards this time. It was apparent the young girl was not going to get very far and she was going to end up with a rather sore arm by the time the walk was over.

As we chuckled and drove by I thought, Yup, that’s me – trying to walk the dog of marketing, tugging and tugging and tugging but ending up being jerked in every direction but forward.

There are so many voices out there telling us they have the solution – just do this and you’ll sell a million books in no time. You can write a book in 48 hours and make it a bestseller in one weekend. And of course there are many who are willing to share all their secrets to success – those never before shared with anyone – with only you. For a price. Right.

Uhoh. I could get pretty whiney here. In fact, to be honest, the first draft of this post was a little bit whiney. Well, okay, maybe a little more than a little bit. I find it all too easy to focus on the negatives, sometimes, especially when the dogs of marketing have dragged me in several directions at once and I can see very little significant results in book sales.

But then I have to stop and take another look. Yes, I’ve been dragged down many alleys, followed too many detours, and sometimes ended up going in circles, but it has all been a journey of learning. I’ve picked up some valuable insights and tips along the way. And not just about the writing life. I’ve seen God work in amazing ways even when I had my eyes on those misbehaving dogs instead of on the prize He has told me is waiting for me.

The Apostle Paul warned the people of Philippi to “watch out for those dogs, those evildoers …” (Phil. 3:2). These were men whose advice would lead to a bad end, because it would cause them to take their eyes off the prize.

Wait. A prize? For us? Oh yes, and Paul urges us to follow his example as he presses on “to win the prize for which God has called (us) heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

Yes, there is a prize worth more than any other. It’s not a contract with the number one agent in the CBA or a big publishing house. It’s something far better. It’s an invitation to join our Lord and Saviour at His banquet table. It’s an invitation to fall into the embrace of Jesus Himself and know we are loved beyond measure.

I’m going to try and remember that large white dog. I’m going to try and remember how he jerked his master around so much she didn’t have time to enjoy her journey or focus on what was truly important.

And I’m going to look up and let go of that leash. 
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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has two devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be 

downloaded on Smashwords or on Amazon. It is also now 

available in Journal format on Amazon. 

Marcia's most recent release is A Traveler’s Advisory, Stories of God’s Grace Along the Way.

Visit Marcia’s Website

Sign up to receive her devotional column, The Spur

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Creative Outlets I’ve Known and Loved by Marcia Lee Laycock

“You have a challenge before you.”

The drawing instructor grinned. “Oh? What’s that?”

“Me.” I said. “I don’t do mornings. (The drawing class started at 8:00 a.m.) “And I couldn’t draw a descent stick figure to save my life.”

The instructor laughed. “I’ll have you drawing well enough by Christmas.”

I doubted it, but as the weeks went by it began to happen. I not only learned to draw I learned to love drawing. I found it relaxing in a meditative way and was continually amazed at what you see when you have to focus on something enough to replicate it.

That form of creativity has been put on the back burner many times in my life as I’ve concentrated on writing, but every now and then I pull out a sketch pad, sit down and draw. I’ve also done some water colour painting and have taken a couple of painting courses in the past.

I’ll never be a great artist but the exercise is one I find relaxing and fulfilling. I’ve tried many other art forms over the years. When my husband and I decided to leave the Yukon after twelve years, we sold almost everything we owned, including the log home we’d built ourselves. We had a massive yard sale and I pulled out all the left-overs from my dabblings in stained glass, silk screening, pottery, weaving and spinning. One woman who was pawing through it all asked if there was anything I hadn’t done. I was sure there must be something, but I couldn’t come up with an answer.

All were fun in their own way but none stood the test of time.

One thing I have learned about any creative endeavour – they all take work. It takes time and effort to develop the skills necessary to do any creative work well. Perhaps that’s what draws the line between a hobby and a life’s passion – the willingness to work at it.

When we moved to Alberta after Bible College I made a decision to focus on the writing. It had always been my first love and now that I was a believer in Jesus Christ it had a new and exciting focus. As God opened the doors and showed me what He wanted me to do I felt a new and exciting sense that I had finally found the creative outlet I was meant to pursue with all my heart and energy. I found God and I found my calling through Him.

But now and then I do pick up a sketch pad and my water colours. Just for the fun.

By the way, the piece above is a collaborative effort with my daughter. Laura took the drawing I had done of my dad sleeping in his chair and made it into a painting. Kind of the same way God takes our words and makes them into life-changing stories.
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Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone was short listed in The Word Awards. Marcia also has two devotional books in print and has contributed to several anthologies. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan.

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded on Smashwords or on Amazon. It is also now available in Journal format on Amazon. 

Visit Marcia’s Website

Sign up to receive her devotional column, The Spur

Read More